The Swiss Family Robinson Told in Words of One Syllable
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Mary Godolphin >> The Swiss Family Robinson Told in Words of One Syllable
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THE SWISS FAMILY ROBINSON
TOLD IN WORDS OF ONE SYLLABLE
by Mary Godolphin
CHAPTER I.
WHEN one has a good tale to tell, he should try to be brief, and not
say more than he can help ere he makes a fair start; so I shall not say
a word of what took place on board the ship till we had been six days
in a storm. The barque had gone far out of her true course, and no one
on board knew where we were. The masts lay in splints on the deck, a
leak in the side of the ship let more in than the crew could pump out,
and each one felt that ere long he would find a grave in the deep sea,
which sent its spray from side to side of what was now but a mere hulk.
"Come, boys," said I to my four sons, who were with me, "God can save
us if it please Him so to do; but, if this is to be our last hour, let
us bow to His will--we shall at least go down side by side."
My dear wife could not hide the tears that fell down her cheeks as I
thus spoke to my sons, but she was calm, and knelt down to pray, while
the boys clung round her as if they thought she could help them.
Just then we heard a cry of "Land! land!" felt a shock, and it was
clear that we had struck on a rock, for we heard a loud cry from one of
the men, "We are lost! Launch the boat; try for your lives!"
I went at once on deck, and found that all the boats had been let down,
and that the last of the crew had just left the ship. I cried out for
the men to come back and take us with them, but it was in vain.
I then thought that our last chance was gone. Still, as I felt the ship
did not sink, I went to the stern, and found, to my joy, that she was
held up by a piece of rock on each side, and made fast like a wedge. At
the same time I saw some trace of land, which lay to the south, and
this made me go back with some hope that we had still a faint chance.
As soon as I got down stairs I took my wife by the hand, and said, "Be
of good cheer, we are at least safe for some time, and if the wind
should veer round, we may yet reach the land that lies but a short way
off."
I said this to calm the fears of my wife and sons, and it did so far
more than I had a right to hope.
"Let us now take some food," said my wife. "We are sure to need it, for
this will no doubt be a night to try our strength."
My wife got some food for her boys, which we were glad to see them eat,
poor as it was; but we could not share their meal. Three out of the
four were put to bed in their berths, and soon went to sleep; but
Fritz, who was our first child, would not leave us. He said, like a
good son, that he would try to be of some use, and think what could be
done.
"If we could but find some cork," said Fritz to me in a low tone, "we
might make floats. You and I will not need them, for we can swim, but
the rest will want some such means to keep them up."
"A good thought," said I. "Let us try to find what things there are in
the ship that we can thus make use of."
We soon found some casks and ropes, and with these we made a kind of
float for each of the three boys, and then my wife made one for her own
use. This done, we got some knives, string, and such things as we could
make fast to our belts. We did not fail to look for and find a flint
and steel, and the box in which the burnt rags were kept, for these
were at that time in use as the means to strike a light.
Fritz, who was now well-nigh worn out, lay down on his bed and slept
like the rest. As for me and my poor wife, we kept watch, each in fear
lest the next wave should lift the ship off the rock and break it up.
I need not tell you how glad we were when we saw the first gleam of
light. At dawn the wind did not blow so strong, the sky was clear of
clouds, and we saw the sun rise, and with it rose our hopes. I soon had
my wife and sons on deck.
"Where are the men?" said they. "How can we steer the ship?"
"My dear boys," said I, "He who has kept us safe till now will still
aid us. Let all hands set to work, and leave the rest to God."
At these words we all went to work with a will. My wife went to feed
the live stock; Fritz set off in search of arms, and the means to make
use of them; and Ernest made his way to the tool chest. Jack ran to
pick up what he could find, but as he got to one of the doors he gave
it a push, and two huge dogs sprang out and leaped at him. He thought
at first that they would bite him, but he soon found that they meant
him no harm, and one of them let him get on his back and ride up to me
as I came from the hold of the ship.
When the boys had done their search, and the spoil was brought on deck,
we thought we had found all that we should need. "As for me," said my
wife, "I have brought good news, for I find we have still on board a
cow, an ass, two goats, six sheep, a ram, a pig, and a sow, and I have
found food for them all."
"All that you bring will be of use," said I; "but I fear that Jack's
dogs will do us more harm than good."
"Not at all," said Jack, "for they can help us to hunt when we get to
land."
"Well said, Jack. And now let us see what we can do that will aid us to
get there."
We then took the casks that we had found, and Ernest and I soon cut
them in half. With these tubs we made a kind of raft, though it was no
slight task. The tubs, in fact, were a fleet of eight small round
boats, made so fast to some planks that no one of them could float from
the rest. The next thing to be done was to launch the raft. This we at
length did, and when the boys saw it slide down the side of the ship
and float on the sea, they gave a loud shout, and each one tried who
should be the first to get on it. I made it fast to the ship, and there
left it.
I then told my wife to change her dress for that of one of the crew
which she had found, as her skirts would have got in her way when she
had to climb. She did not at first like this, but did so as soon as she
saw the truth of what I told her.
At last, when all was done, we went to bed, and slept as sound as if we
had been on land.
CHAPTER II.
WE were all up at the break of day, and knelt down to thank God that He
had kept us from harm through the night.
We then put all the things on the raft, and ten live hens and two cocks
were put in one of the tubs. Some ducks and geese we let go, in the
hope that they would swim to the shore; and a pair of doves were set
free, as they could fly to the land.
There was a place in the raft for each of us. In the first tub sat my
wife; in the next Frank, who was eight years old; in the third Fritz,
not quite twice the age of Frank; in the fourth were the fowls, and
some old sails that would make us a tent; the fifth was full of good
things in the way of food; in the sixth stood Jack, a bold lad, ten
years old; in the next Ernest, twelve years of age, well taught, but
too fond of self, and less fond of work than the rest; while I sat in
the eighth, to guide the raft that was to save all that was dear to me
in the world.
As soon as the dogs (Bill and Turk by name) saw us push off from the
ship they leaped in the sea, swam near the raft, and kept well up with
us.
The sea was calm; so that we felt quite safe. We made good use of the
oars, and the raft bore its freight straight to the land; but as we
drew near to the shore the sight of the bare rocks led us to think that
we might still be in need of food and drink when that which we had was
gone.
As we got near, the coast lost its bare look, and we were glad to see
that there was no lack of trees. We soon found a bay, to which the
ducks and geese had found their way, and here we saw a place where we
could land.
As soon as we had made the raft fast with a strong rope, we took out
all our wealth, and made a tent with the old sail cloth we had brought
with us, and stuck a pole in the ground to keep it up. This done, I
sent the boys to get some moss and dry grass to make our beds with.
With the flint and steel we soon set fire to some dry twigs, and my
wife made a pot of soup with what she had brought from the ship.
Fritz, who had charge of the guns, chose one, and took a stroll by the
side of a stream, while Jack went in search of shell fish, which he
thought he might find on the rocks. My share of the work was to save
two large casks which were near the shore. While I was up to my knees
in the sea I heard a shrill cry, which I knew to come from Jack. I got
out at once, took up an axe, and ran to his help. I found him with his
legs in a rock pool, where a large crab held him by his toes. It soon
made off as I came near; but I struck at it with the axe, and brought
it out of the pool. Jack then took it up, though it gave him a pinch or
two ere he found out how to hold it, and ran off in high glee to show
what he had caught.
When I got back to the tent, I found that Ernest had brought us news
that he had seen salt in the chinks of the rocks, and that shell fish
were not scarce.
"Well, my boy, if you are sure you saw them, I will ask you to go back
for some. We must each do some work for the good of all."
He went, and soon found the salt, left by the sea on the rocks, which
the sun had made quite dry. There was some sand with it, but my wife
did not take long to find a way to cure that. She had been to a fresh
stream with a large jug; from this I saw her pour some on the salt,
strain it through a cloth, and let it drip in a cup, so that all the
sand was left on the cloth.
When the soup was made hot we had each a taste, and all said that it
was good.
"Be not in too great haste," said my wife, "we must wait for Fritz;
but if he were here, I do not see how we are to take our soup, for we
have no plates nor spoons."
"If we had but some large nuts," said Ernest, "we might cut them in
half, and they would make good bowls."
"Quite true," said I; "but as there are none, we may as well wish for
delf bowls and real spoons at once."
"Now I have it," quoth Ernest. "Let us use the shells I saw on the
shore."
Off ran Jack to the shore, with Ernest at his heels, and back they both
came with large and small shells for us all.
Just then Fritz came in, with a look of gloom on his face, which I
could see was a sham.
"You do not mean to tell me you have come back with nought?" said I, as
he put out his hands as if to prove that such was the case. But Jack,
who had been round him, cried out, "No, no! he's got a pig!--such a
fine one. Tell us where you found it."
Fritz now brought forth his prize. When I saw it, I knew, from what I
had read, that it was not a pig, but a swift beast, known in these
parts, that lives on fruit and nuts, and hides in the earth. (*The
Agouti.)
"I like the place much more than I do this spot," said he. "The shore
lies low, and there are planks, casks, chests, and all sorts of things,
that the sea has thrown up. Why not leave this place at once, and go
there?"
"There is a time for all things," said I. "We must at least rest here
for one night."
We all sat down to take our soup with the shell spoons. Ernest took
from his coat a large shell, which he had hid till now, put it in the
soup, and then set it down to cool.
"You do not show want of thought," said I to him. "But I am not glad to
see that you think so of your-self, and do so much for your own ease,
when all the rest do so much for yours. Now, that shell full of soup
you must give to our two dogs. We can all dip our small shells in the
pot, and you must do as we do."
I knew he felt hurt at this, but he gave it to the dogs at once, and
they soon made quick work of their share of the soup.
The sun was low when our meal came to an end. The fowls came round us
to pick up the stray crumbs we had let fall, and my wife took out her
bag of grain and fed the cocks and hens, and sent them to roost on the
top of our tent.
We took care to load our fire-arms, in case we might need them in the
night; sang a hymn of praise to God, and then left our fate in His
hands.
CHAPTER III.
As soon as I heard the cock crow, and saw by the light that it was
break of day, I got out of bed and spoke to my wife as to what we
should do next.
"First," said I, "Fritz and I will make a tour of the coast and try to
find some of the men who left the ship, for if they are here they may
be in want."
"But," said Fritz, who had heard me from his bed, "why should we search
for those who left us to die on the wreck?"
"Well, I will tell you," said I. "First, we should do to them as we
would wish them to do to us, not as they have done; next, we know that
they took no food with them, and we should not leave them to starve;
and last, it may be that they can help us, though now they stand more
in need of our aid."
The boys were soon up, and we all sat down to a good meal. That done,
Fritz and I got our guns. I put a pair of small arms in his belt. gave
him a game bag, and told him to take an axe. I took some food for us
both, and a full flask, out of which we could drink if we should stray
far from a stream.
When we took our leave, my wife and the three boys were in tears. The
dog Bill we left to guard the tent, but Turk went with us, and ran by
our side.
We soon got to the banks of a stream; but then had to make our way down
its course. It took us some time to reach the sea shore. There was not
a boat to be seen, or any sign that the ship's crew had found the land.
We left the shore, and went through a wood full of tall trees. Here
Fritz struck some hard thing on the ground with his foot, which we
found to be a CO-COA NUT. He gave it a blow with his axe, and broke the
shell, and we both sat down to rest, and eat the nut.
At the end of the wood we came to a plain which gave us a clear view of
the place. Fritz, who was on the look out, ran off with Turk to some
strange trees that he saw on the right.
When I got up to him, it gave me no small joy to find that it was a
gourd tree.
"Try," said I, "if you can get hold of one of those queer lumps that
grow on it."
With that he brought one down, and we had a look at it.
"Now, of this," said I, "we can make a plate, a dish, or a flask. Wild
men set great store by its shell, which they use to hold their food and
drink."
We then set to work to make plates of the gourds. When we had made some
eight or ten bowls, and some flat ones for plates, we laid them out in
the sun to dry, and then went on our way.
We could see, not far off, a grove of fine palm trees, but to reach
them we should have to pass through reeds and long grass. I knew this
was just the place to find snakes, so we each cut a cane, that we might
beat them off should we meet with any. As I took hold of my staff, I
felt a gum or juice ooze out of the end. I put my tongue to it, and
found it of a sweet taste. This led me to suck the reed, and I then
knew that we had met with the SUG-AR CANE. By this time Fritz had done
the same, for I could see that he held his cane to his mouth.
"Do not suck too much of it," said I, "or it will make you ill; but let
us cut some of the best and take them back with us, for those at home
will prize so great a treat."
It did not take us long to reach the place where the palms grew, and
then we sat down in the shade to eat the food we had brought with us.
"Do you see those nuts at the top of the trees, Fritz ?" said I.
"To be sure I do; but they are far too high to reach. Look, look!" he
cried, "there are some MON-KEYS; let me have a shot at them."
"Do not do that," I said, and held his arm; "it will do us no good to
kill them, and I think I can make use of them." With that I threw some
stones up at the tree where they were, though they had got safe out of
my reach. They then made a loud noise, took hold of the nuts that were
near, and flung them straight at us. The trick made Fritz laugh, who
soon had hard work to pick up the nuts that were thrown at him.
We broke some of the nuts, and put the juice of the canes in the thick
white cream which forms close to the shell; and this made us a dish
that Fritz said was fit for a king.
Fritz and I then made fast some nuts to a string, which I tied round my
waist, while he took up his canes, and we both set off on our road home.
CHAPTER IV.
ON our way back we took up the gourd bowls and plates, which we found
quite dry and hard as bone, and put them in our bags. We had scarce got
through the wood, when Turk made a dart in front of us, and we saw a
troop of apes rush out of the way. But he gave a leap and brought down
one that could not climb so fast as the rest, for she had a young one
in her arms. Turk made short work of the poor thing, for ere Fritz
could call the dog off, the ape was dead. The young one, as soon as it
saw Fritz, sprang on his back, put its paws in his curls, and would not
let go. I at length got the ape from Fritz's back, and took it up in my
arms like a child. We found that it was too young to seek its own food,
and, as Fritz said he should like to take it home, we put it on Turk's
back. Turk did not at first like this, but we soon got him to bear the
ape, which held so tight by the hair on the dog's neck that it could
not well fall off. Fritz then led Turk with a string, that he might not
stray out of sight, or throw off his charge, which I think he would
have done had we not been on the watch.
It did not take us long to reach the bank of the stream near to our
home.
I need not tell you how glad my wife and sons were to see us safe back,
or with what joy the boys took the "real live ape" out of Fritz's arms.
At length, when they got more staid, I told them that we had brought
them all sorts of good things, but that we had not met with any of the
men of whom we went in search. "God's will be done," said my wife, "let
us thank Him that you have come back safe to us. This day to me has
been an age; but put down your loads, for we must now go in and hear
what you have to tell."
Fritz and I then told them, by turns, where we found the things we
brought with us, how we made and dried the plates and bowls, cut the
canes, and caught the ape in the wood. Our tales had not come to an end
when we were told that it was time to sup. Ernest had shot a wild
goose, and some fish had been caught in the stream. With these, and the
Dutch cheese that we brought from the ship, we made a good meal; but
the boys would not rest till we broke some of the nuts, from which they
drank the milk, made sweet with the juice of the canes. I must tell you
that we ate our food in great state from our gourd rind plates, which
my wife said she should prize more than if they were made of pure gold.
That night the ape went to bed with Jack and Fritz, and we all slept in
peace till the cocks on the roof of the tent woke us up.
Next day Fritz and I went back to the wreck to save the live stock, and
get what else we had left that might be of use to us. We found it no
light task, for we had to make floats for the cow, the ass, the sheep,
and the goats, throw them in the sea, and tie them with ropes to our
raft. We put on board the raft a vast deal of food that had not been
spoiled by the sea, though the waves had made a breach in the sides of
the wreck. We then put to sea with our train of live stock made fast to
the stern.
We had not gone far when I heard a loud cry of fear from Fritz, "We are
lost! We are lost! See what a great shark is on its way to us!"
Though pale with fright, he took aim with his gun, and shot the fish in
the head. It sank at once, but left a track of blood in the sea, which
I knew to be a sign that we were once more safe. We then got to land,
and made fast our freight to the shore. Ere we had done this our
friends came to give us what help they could to get the beasts out of
the stream, and take them up to the tent. The poor things were well
nigh worn out; but we took good care of them, and put them to rest on
some dry grass that my wife had laid out for them.
That night we did not sup on the ground. My wife had spread a
cloth on the top of a cask, and we each sat on a tub. With the knives
and forks that we had found in the ship we ate a dish of hot ham and
eggs, nor did we fail to test the wine that I had brought with me in a
small cask from the wreck.
Ere bed-time my wife had told me that while I was at the wreck she had
gone in search of some place in which we could build a house.
"And did you find one, my dear?" I said.
"Oh, yes," said she. "We can take you to a great tree that will serve
us well, if we can but get across the stream with our goods."
"But would you have us roost, like fowls, in a tree? How do you think
we could get up to our perch?"
"Was there not a large lime tree in our town in which they built a ball
room, with stairs up the trunk?"
"To be sure there was," said I; "and if we can not build in it, we can
at least make use of its shade, and dwell in a hut on the roots."
Ernest said that he took a string, and found that it was twelve yards
round. This led me to think that my wife's scheme was by no means a bad
one, and that I would have a look at the tree the next day.
When I had heard all they had to tell, we knelt down to pray, and then
sought a good night's rest, which the toils of the day made us much in
need of.
CHAPTER V.
WHEN I rose from my bed the next day, I said to my wife: "Does it not
seem, my dear, as if God had led us to this place, and that we should
do wrong to leave it?"
"What you say may be quite true, so far as it goes," she said; "but I
must tell you that the mid-day heat is more than we can bear, and that
if we stay here we may have to keep watch at night, for there are, no
doubt, wild beasts of some kind that will find us out; and we should
not trust too much to our dogs, who may lose their lives in a fight
with them."
"I dare say you are right," said I; "but I do not yet see how we can
cross the stream. We shall first have to build a bridge."
The boys were now all out of their beds; and while my wife went to milk
the cow and cook some food, I made my plans known to them. They were
all glad when they heard that we were to leave, and each said he, would
help to build the bridge.
The first thing to be done was to find some strong planks; and Fritz,
Ernest, and I went down to the shore, and got in the boat, which the
tide took down to the bay.
On a piece of land which lay to the left we could see some large dark
thing, round which flew a flock of sea gulls. We put up a sail and
caught a gust of wind which had sprung up, and this soon brought the
boat to the spot. We made no noise, but crept up the shore step by
step, and we got so near that Ernest brought down some of the birds
with a stick. Fritz was the first to find out that what the sea gulls
had just left was the huge fish he had shot in the sea. We cut off some
rough skin, which we thought might serve for files, and then went back
to the boat. I took a glance at the shore ere I got in, and to my great
joy saw some of the planks and spars from the wreck lay on the ground
not far off. Our next care was to bind these so as to make a raft,
which we tied to the stern of the boat, and then, by the use of our
oars, soon made our way up the stream to the place where the bridge was
to be built. Our young friends were glad to see us back so soon, and
ran to meet us; Jack had a cloth in his hand, in which was a store of
cray fish and crabs just caught in some of the nooks of a rock up the
stream.
"Do not fail to give God thanks," said I, "that our lot has been cast
where we can pick up more food than we can eat."
It would take a long time to tell how we brought all the wood up to the
spot, built piers of stone in the stream, and put the planks one by one
in the place; it was late at night when we left off work, and once more
sought our tent.
The next day we saw the sun rise, and took our first meal in haste, for
we knew we should have a long day's toil. All the stores that we could
not take with us were laid by in the tent, the door of which was made
safe by a row of casks, that we put round it. My wife and Fritz soon
led the way; the cow went next; then the ass, with Frank on its back.
Jack led the goats, and on the back of one of them sat the ape. Ernest
took charge of the sheep, and I brought up the rear as chief guard. We
took care to cross the bridge one at a time, and found it bore our
weight well; but once or twice we thought the cow would step in the
stream, or fall off the boards, when she went to the sides to drink.
Just as we had left the bridge, Jack cried out, "Be quick! here is a
strange beast with quills as long as my arm." The dogs ran, and I with
them, and found a large POR-CU-PINE, in the grass. It made a loud
noise, and shot out its quills at the dogs, and made them bleed. At
this Jack shot at the beast, which fell dead on the spot. My wife's
first thought was to dress the wounds made by the quills, which had
stuck in the nose of one of the dogs, while the boys made haste to
pluck some of the quills from the skin of their strange prize.
At last our march came to an end, and I saw for the first time the
great trees that my wife had told me of. They were of vast size, and
were, I thought, fig trees. "If we can but fix our tent up there," I
said, "we shall have no cause to dread, for no wild beasts can reach
us." We sent Frank off to find sticks, with which to make a fire, and
my wife made some soup of the flesh of the beast we had slain, though
we did not like it so well as we did the ham and cheese we brought with
us.